Dear Dr. Forsythe:
What is a reactive Lymph Node? I took my dog to the vet because he had big swollen tennis ball-size lumps under his jaw. The vet thought he had cancer but the test came back “reactive nodes.” Now I’m not sure what is wrong with him.
“Node” sure
Dear “Node”: A reactive lymph node, in your pet’s case, is a very, very good diagnosis! This means the node is doing what is was designed to do: react to stimulation/reaction by the body. This probably means that your dog was exposed to something or is fighting an infection (or perhaps oral disease) and his lymph nodes are draining infection and his immune system is responding and fighting off the problem.
When a veterinarian feels large swollen nodes under the chin, we tend do worry about lymphosarcoma, a type of cancer. Aspirating the nodes with a needle and looking at some cells under the microscope is one way to get a small sample and a good start of a diagnosis, but not the only way to rule this cancer in or out. Getting the diagnosis of a reactive node is quite a relief, but it also tells us to keep looking for WHY the node is reacting. An excisional biopsy, where a chunk of the material is sent into the lab (if this was not already done) can sometimes give more information about the problem and the best ways to treat it.
Good luck with your pet. I hope those lymph nodes are a normal size soon.
Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe:
My Bulldog “Beauty” has just come into heat and we are interested in knowing what the best day would be to breed her. Is there a way to know when to take her to her “stud” for the breeding?
Ms. C, Petaluma
Dear Ms. C:
Two of the most helpful ways of planning the ideal breeding dates in order to get your dog pregnant are to measure her progesterone levels and to have your veterinarian check out Beauty’s vaginal cytology under a microscope to determine an idea of just when she will be most likely ovulating and therefore the best time to breed her.
Usually the best time to breed happens several days after she has been bleeding during the “proestrus” period. Although every female is different, and even the same female can vary from heat cycle to heat cycle, this fertile range can begin about a week after she has started bleeding, when the bloody discharge begins turning lighter from frank blood to a straw colored liquid. During the days when this happens, your veterinarian can take a sterile swab from Beauty’s cranial vaginal vault and examine the cells; each day as she “ripens” towards ovulation, the cells from her progress from looking round and nucleated to appearing larger, square and devoid of a nucleus. At the same time, your veterinarian should measure blood progesterone levels. These can be quantitatively measured to determine with rather good accuracy which day Beauty will most likely be ovulating. Using these techniques, you should be able to make your girl available to the stud dog’s owner for a “natural” breeding or side-by-side artificial inseminations on the optimal days. In my opinion, it is best to breed the female dog to her stud once every other day for a total of two breedings in order to achieve maximum litter size.
Good luck with your batch of bull! And don’t forget to confirm the pregnancy one month later and schedule a planned C-section for that “Beauty” of yours about 60 days after conception.
Dr. F
